Guide to the MS-420 Engineers' Club of Dayton Records

History of Engineers' Club of Dayton

Edward A. Deeds and Charles F. Kettering founded the Engineers' Club in 1914. The Club was originally housed in a residence owned by the Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company (DELCO) at the corner of Second and Madison Streets. By 1916, however, the rapid growth of membership made it apparent that a larger facility was necessary and plans were made to build the Engineers' Club of Dayton on the southeast corner of Jefferson and Monument streets. This building, which is still in use today, was designed by two Dayton architects named Schenck and Williams. The building was dedicated on February 2, 1918 and Orville Wright, on behalf of the Board of Governors, accepted the property and turned it over to the members.

Throughout the years, the Engineers' Club of Dayton has been one of the Miami Valley's major cultural and scientific institutions. It has advanced the field of engineering through furnishing facilities where engineers, scientists, and business leaders could meet to share ideas, exchange information, and develop long-term relationships that would benefited members, the community, and society at large. It has also encouraged young people and minorities to consider careers in engineering through financial support in the form of grants, scholarships, loans, and summer employment. In addition to the regular technical programs and speakers, the Club sponsors many cultural and social activities year-round.

Scope and Content

Researchers studying the Engineers' Club of Dayton Records can gain insight into scientific organizations in the Miami Valley. The collection is arranged into six series and ten subseries:

Series I, Administration, contains records related to the history and operation of the organization. This information includes the organizations constitution, bylaws, meeting minutes, committees, societies, affiliated organizations, correspondence, financial records, and material on various events.

Subseries IA, Constitution, Bylaws, and Meeting Minutes, contains documents related to the administrative function of the organization. Meeting minutes are organized by board and arranged chronologically by year. Proposed budgets and financial reports often appear within this series because they were discussed during the meetings and located with the official minutes.

Subseries IB, Committees, Societies, and Affiliated Organizations, contains documents related to the various agencies the Engineers' Club is associated with or oversees.

Subseries IC, Correspondence, contains letters exchanged between members of the Engineers' Club and are arranged chronologically by year or alphabetically by last name.

Subseries ID, Financial Records, contains various statements and reports associated with the financial standing of the Engineers' Club. Files are arranged chronologically by year. Subseries IE, Events, contains records related to the various events the Engineers' Club has hosted over the years. Files are arranged chronologically by year.

Subseries IF, Awards, contains records charters, proclamations, as well as, programs to award ceremonies hosted by the Engineers' Club. Most of the files pertain to the Kettering-Deeds Award, which was bestowed to members for outstanding contributions to the Club. Files are arranged chronologically by year.

Subseries IG, Restaurant, contains records related to the bar and grill located in the Engineers' Club. Information about menus, vendors, and kitchen renovation plans is located in this series.

Series II, Membership Records, is the largest series and contains files the Engineers' Club kept on its members. This material often includes their membership application, contact information, correspondence, biographies, newspaper clippings, photographs of the member, and sometimes resignation letters. Files are arranged alphabetically by last name.

Series III, Ropewalk: A Cordage Engineer's Journey through History, contains records pertaining to the 60-minute documentary on rope making produced by the Engineers' Club Foundation in 2006. This information contains oral history transcripts, publicity, awards, and the master copy of the film.

Series IV, Publications, contains brochures, journals, magazines, and also copies of The Engineer, which is the monthly publication of the Engineers' Club. Files are arranged chronologically.

Series V, Engineering Designs, contains scale drawings of buildings in Dayton and the surrounding area. Files are arranged alphabetically or by drawing number.

Series VI, Multi-Media, contains photographs and audio recordings of different Engineers' Club events. It also includes original film, newspapers, and a scrapbook that feature the Engineers' Club, its members, or advances in the field of science.

Subseries VIA, Photographs, contains pictures of the Engineers' Club's building, members, and various events.

Subseries VIB, Audio and Video, contains audio and video recordings of events hosted by the Engineers' Club, as well as, various histories of the Engineers' Club and prominent local figures.

Subseries VIC, Scrapbooks and Newspapers, contains scrapbooks and newspapers related to the Engineers' Club, its members, or advances in the field of science.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions may apply. Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

Restrictions on Access

There are no restrictions on accessing materials in this collection.

MS-98, McCook Field Engineering Division Inspection Report MS-201, ODOT Historic American Engineering Record MS-209, Pamphlet on E.W. Roberts, Consulting Engineer MS-267, Historic American Engineering Record: Veterans Memorial Bridge MS-304, Institution of Aeronautical Engineers Collection

Film and video is stored at the Alternative Storage Facility at Med Sci.

Subject Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

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Preferred Citation

[Box #, Folder #], MS-420, Engineers' Club of Dayton Records, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio.

Acquisition Information

Wright State University Special Collections and Archives accessioned the Engineers' Club of Dayton Records in December 2009.

Processing Information

Processed by Gino Pasi and Jeremy Katz (Fall 2011-Winter 2012). Revised and updated with additions by Leigh McCormick (Fall 2014).

Accruals

Future additions to the collection are possible.

Other Finding Aid

The finding aid is available on the Special Collections & Archives, Wright State University Libraries web site at
https://wright.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/resources/126.